Lower South

August, 2006
Regional Report

Web Finds

Crape Myrtle Varieties
Texas Cooperative Extension's Characteristics of Crape Myrtle Varieties Web page is a great reference for a multitude of crape myrtle varieties. Each variety has a photo and descriptions of its flower color, growth habit, height, mildew resistance, fall color, and exfoliating bark. Check it out.

Favorite or New Plant

Softleaf Yucca & Pale-Leaf Yucca
Softleaf yucca (Yucca recurvifolia) & pale-leaf yucca (Y. pallida) are two of the best yucca species for the landscape. They both provide attractive blue-green leaves that form an attractive evergreen specimen plant for year round beauty. Unlike the Spanish dagger yuccas their leaves are not as threating to pedestrian traffic. Tall bloom spikes bearing white, waxy, bell-shaped blossoms call attention to these outstanding plants. Both are very drought hardy and deer resistant. Softleaf yucca grows to 5 feet tall in time and produces its tall bloom spikes in late summer. Pale-leaf yucca reaches only about a foot tall. Its blooms are produced in late spring to early summer.